Lying between the river Forth and the Ochil Hills, this constituency is pleasantly rural, but is mostly industrial in character. Brewing, distilling, glass manufacture and bottling are the main industries today, with tourism and agriculture also playing a part in the local economy. The most affluent areas in the seat are unsurprisingly also the Tory-held wards. Bridge of Allan is home to monied commuters to Stirling and further afield, whilst Dollar has, in its Academy, one of Scotland's most renowned private schools. Besides these, the towns in the seat grew up on the wool trade and, in the case of Alva, silver mining. Those industries may now have died out, but the majority of inhabitants remain resolutely working-class.

The predecessor seat to this constituency - Clackmannan & East Stirlingshire was held by the SNP between February 1974 and 1979. In February 1974 the party managed to overturn a Labour majority of over 10,000 and won by a margin of over 3,500 votes. It was the largest swing in the whole of the UK.